Oh yeah, new tubes in the house!

[Sir Barton]

A few weeks ago I got into a discussion with a guy on Audiokarma about tube rolling with my MC-10L. He recommended I try the NOS Soviet 6P3S-E military tubes, as he said theyre low cost and sound better than most current and past production EL34s. Mind you, the MC-10L is an EL34 amp based loosely around the famous Dynaco Stereo 70. I didnt know what to expect, as the 6P3S-E is a 6L6GC type tube, which has a different pin configuration than the EL34. I was a bit scared, as using the wrong tubes can make for a nice fireworks display. Worst case scenario, Id have to get out the soldering iron and rework the output section of my amp. He reassured me that these work perfectly in EL34 amps, and that lots of guys are using them in their EL34 based guitar amps and hifi amps without circuit modification. These tubes were very low cost, $36 for a matched quad, vs the $120 for the matched quad of SED EL34s (current cream of the crop EL34) and the $75/quad Electro Harmonix 6CA7EH (another current production higher end EL34). Once I put them in my amp, I was somewhat disappointed, as the mids were a little too warm, the bass wasnt as deep as it was witht he other tubes, but the highs were magnificent. I started asking questions as to why the tubes arent doing too well. I was told to ramp up the bias to .50V, as I was running them at .35V. Bingo, the bass was back, the mids very warm and intricate, and the highs...theyre to die for. The highs are super warm, but not too warm as to cause a loss in detail. The soundstage is literally 3D, much better than either the SED EL34 or the 6CA7EH. I cant believe these tubes were so cheap! Theyre a hell of a bargain, and I would like to buy more to build a pair of OTL monoblocks. Did I mention how 3D the soundstage was? :p The soundstage is literally mindblowing. With only 5 hours on the tubes, Im sure they have way more in them, as tubes usually dont reach their peak performance potential until they have around 50 to 100 hours on them. The SED EL34 and 6CA7EH are awesome tubes, and well worth the price of admission, but these Soviet 6P3S-Es, theyre something else!

http://cgi.ebay.com/6P3S-E-6L6-6L6GT-6L6GC-5881-MATCHED-PAIR-TUBES-100_W0QQitemZ130316498323QQcmdZViewItemQQptZVintag e_Electronics_R2?hash=item1e5777f593

[tweakboy]

Wow you gave us a whole story. I read it all, yup all of that long story hehe, I dont know what response you want... dont get it,,

[jhanby]

Awesome !

Out of interest, what were tubes used for in the military ?

[ratbuddy]

Awesome !

Out of interest, what were tubes used for in the military ?

6Π3C-E- (Really 6P3S-E, but often mistakenly translated 6N3C-e) Servo Tube for Soviet (Now Russian Federation) Mig Jet Fighters

[Sir Barton]

Awesome !

Out of interest, what were tubes used for in the military ?

Theyre used for communication equipment. Many countries in the former Soviet bloc still use tubes in their communication equipment, as they still function correctly in the event of a nuclear attack. Transistor-based electronics will fry out almost indefintely. Hell, even most modern radio stations even use tubes to broadcast, as they get much further range than their transistor counterparts.

[s.t.a.t.i.c]

Theyre used for communication equipment. Many countries in the former Soviet bloc still use tubes in their communication equipment, as they still function correctly in the event of a nuclear attack. Transistor-based electronics will fry out almost indefintely. Hell, even most modern radio stations even use tubes to broadcast, as they get much further range than their transistor counterparts.


They still use them to broadcast as voltage amplifier for transmission towers.
Congrats on your upgrade.

[tweakboy]

Now I get it.. wow,

[Maxvla]

100 year old tech is still quite modern ;)

[tweakboy]

That's nice educational stuff,, good stuff, gl

[shard]

100 year old tech is still quite modern ;)

And still badass as ever :D